Medication Errors Increasing In Nursing Homes

Media investigators report that there is an increase in Texas nursing home residents being harmed by medication errors. The media reports that “state investigators cited Texas nursing homes 1,060 times for medication errors in 2011. In 2013, violations jumped by nearly 200 more. Of those, staff giving residents ‘unnecessary drugs’ increased the most by more than 78 percent.”

When nursing homes inappropriately administer antipsychotic drugs to residents with no mental illness, “that’s a sign facilities likely don’t have enough staff,” according to an AARP source noted in the report. “It would be easier to medicate them, to calm them down, to make it easier for [the nursing home staff] to handle.”

Medication should be used for the health benefit of the patient, not for the corner-cutting convenience of the nursing home staff. The Kosieradzki • Smith Law Firm represents clients in cases involving catastrophic injury caused by nursing homes and other care facilities that fail to provide proper care, including medication abuse and errors. If you believe your loved one has been harmed due neglect or abuse in a nursing home, take action and contact the Kosieradzki • Smith Law Firm online or call us toll-free at (877) 552-2873 to set up a no-cost, no-obligation consultation.